Rejected by ABC, political satire sparks interest

<p>Actor Oliver Platt in New York, June 7, 2006. "The Thick of It," based on a BBC satire, follows the workers in the office of a low-level congressman in Washington. It stars John Michael Higgins and Platt. REUTERS/Keith Bedford</p>

Sources said the pilot, which last month was passed on by ABC, is garnering interest from several networks, including Showtime, HBO and NBC.

The pilot, based on a BBC satire, follows the workers in the office of a low-level congressman in Washington. It stars John Michael Higgins and Oliver Platt.

Showtime’s strong interest in “Thick” began early on, when the premium cable network bid on the project before it landed at ABC. Showtime entertainment president Robert Greenblatt has been a big fan of Hurwitz and aggressively pursued picking up his Emmy-winning comedy series “Arrested Development” after Fox canceled it, but Hurwitz opted not to continue the show.

Meanwhile, “Thick” is understandably attracting the attention of NBC Entertainment’s newly appointed co-chairman Ben Silverman, who has specialized in bringing foreign formats such as “The Office” and “Ugly Betty” to U.S. primetime.